In May 2015 I created an income portfolio designed for TFSAs for readers of
my Income Investor
newsletter. The goal was to generate cash flow in the 5% range. This makes
it especially useful for older people who want to receive tax-free income.
You can withdraw the dividends/distributions earned each year without
paying any tax, while leaving the principle intact.

However, this type of portfolio comes with some risk. For starters, it is
entirely invested in stocks, which makes it more vulnerable than a balanced
portfolio that includes bond holdings. For another, dividend-paying stocks
tend to come under pressure as rates rise, as we’ll see when we review the
numbers from the latest six-month period.

At the time I launched this portfolio, the maximum cumulative lifetime
contribution was $41,000, so that was the initial starting value.

I selected 10 securities from the Income Investor Recommended
List. All are traded on the TSX, so currency exchange is not a factor,
except for the distributions from the limited partnerships, which are in
U.S. dollars. I gave each security an initial weighting of approximately
10% for diversification and balance. Here are the components of the
portfolio with a brief report on how they have performed since the last
update in November. Prices are as of the close of trading on May 25, and
returns are for the six-month period to May 25.

BCE Inc. (TSX: BCE).
BCE was one of the stocks hit by rising rates. The shares have dropped by
$7.12 since November, a decline of about 15% to mid-May. This was despite
an increase in the dividend of 5.2% earlier this year, bringing the
quarterly payout to $0.755 ($3.02 per year). As a result of the price
decline and the dividend increase, the stock now yields a very attractive
5.5%.

Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX: BNS).
Banks are supposed to prosper as rates increase, but we have not seen that
in BNS shares, which are down $4.56 since November. As with BCE, we had a
dividend increase at the start of the year with the quarterly payout rising
3.8%, to $0.82 per share ($3.28 a year). As a result, the yield jumped to
4.1% from 3.8% at the time of the last review.

Brookfield Infrastructure Limited Partnership (TSX: BIP.UN).
This Bermuda-based limited partnership is a spinoff company from Brookfield
Asset Management, which owns a majority stake. It invests in infrastructure
projects in North and South America, Europe, and Australia. Like other
interest-sensitive stocks, this one is down from our November review. The
partnership increased its distribution by 8% in February, to US$0.47 per
quarter (US$1.88 per year). That and the price drop pushed the yield to
4.9%.

Brookfield Renewable Partners (TSX: BEP.UN).
This is another Brookfield spinoff, but with a focus on renewable energy,
mainly hydro but also some wind projects. The units are down $2.02 from the
time of our last review. We received two distributions totaling US$0.9575,
as the partnership implemented a 4.8% increase in February. The units yield
6.2% at the current price.

Inter Pipeline (TSX: IPL).
This stock has been a disappointment. It was off another $2.51 in the
latest period ending May 25 and is down 13.5% overall since the portfolio’s
inception. We will replace it with a similar but more dynamic company (see
below).

North West Company Inc. (TSX: NWC).
The shares declined by $3.51 in the latest period. The quarterly dividend
is $0.32 per share, and we received two payments. The current yield is
4.5%.

Sienna Senior Living Inc. (TSX: SIA).
Sienna’s share price was down $1.33 during the latest review period.
However, the monthly dividends of $0.075 per share continued to roll in.
The current yield is 5.3%.

TransAlta Renewables Inc. (TSX: RNW).
This stock took another hit in during the past six months to May 25,
dropping $0.87 in value. The monthly payment is $0.0783 per share ($0.9396
per year). The price retreat pushed the yield to 7.6%.

Dream Global REIT (TSX: DRG.UN).
This international REIT invests in office, industrial, and mixed-use
properties in Europe. We added it to the portfolio a year ago, and so far,
it has paid off well. The share price was up $3.27 (28%) in the latest
period, and the units pay $0.0666 per month, or about $0.80 per year. The
yield is 5.4% at the current price. This is the best-performing security in
the portfolio at this time.

We received interest of $25.15 during the latest period from our EQ Bank
savings account.

Here is how the portfolio looked at the close of trading on May 25.

Comments:
The value of the portfolio (market price plus retained earnings) declined
by $455.54, or 0.8%, during the six-month review period to May 25. It could
have been much worse, considering the overall downtrend in
interest-sensitive stocks, but gains in Firm Capital, and especially Dream
Global REIT, plus strong distributions helped to stem the loss.

Despite that loss, since the portfolio was launched three years ago, it has
posted a gain of 31.5%. On an annualized basis, that works out to 9.63%,
which is still very respectable for a portfolio of this type.

Cash flow during the latest period was $1,401.80, for a six-month yield of
2.57% based on the portfolio value last November. In terms of the original
$41,000 investment, the six-month yield was 3.42%, so we are well ahead of
our 5% annual cash flow target.

Changes: We will replace Inter Pipeline with shares of
Pembina Pipeline (TSX: PPL). Yes, we’re still in the pipeline business, which means the stock is
interest-sensitive, but it has held up much better in the current climate
than Inter Pipeline.

The total value of our Inter Pipeline position, including retained
dividends, is $3,889.13. Pembina traded at $43.24 on May 25 and had a yield
of 5.2%. We bought 90 shares for $3,891.60, and took the difference of
$2.47 from cash.

We also made make some additional small purchases as follows:

SIA
– We added 10 shares at a cost of $169.60. That brought our position to 310
shares and reduce our retained earnings to $115.05.

RNW
– We bought another 20 shares for $246.60, leaving cash of $79. We now own
400 shares with a cash balance of $10.92.

FC
– We added 10 shares at a cost of $133.20 to a new total of 400. Our cash
balance was reduced to $110.96.

DRG.UN
– We bought another 10 shares for $149.20, bringing our total to 490. We
had $112.19 left in cash.

Readers are reminded not to do small trades unless you have a fee-based
account. Use a dividend reinvestment plans when available.

We will keep our cash of $2,467.74 in the EQ Bank savings account, which
still pays 2.3%.

Here is the revised portfolio. I will look at it again in my Income Investor newsletter November.

Gordon Pape
is one of Canada’s best-known personal finance commentators and
investment experts. He is the publisher of
The Internet Wealth Builder and The Income Investor
newsletters, which are available through the Building Wealth website.

The foregoing is for general information purposes only and is the opinion
of the writer. Securities mentioned carry risk of loss, and no guarantee of
performance is made or implied. This information is not intended to provide
specific personalized advice including, without limitation, investment,
financial, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Always seek advice from your
own financial advisor before making investment decisions.